Archives for 2017

Saturn moves into Capricorn today, and in the astrology world, that is considered the most important transit of the year. Why?

Saturn’s job is to help you to realize great accomplishments, to push you to make a difference in the world, leaving behind something you can be proud of. In a nutshell, Saturn is here to help you fulfill your mission in life; why you were born.

Saturn helps you to become the best version of yourself through maturity and introspection, hard work and determination, and by learning the skills you need to create your mark on history.

Capricorn is associated with the Midheaven, the highest point in the sky at the time when you were born. So, when Saturn enters Capricorn, you have the rare opportunity to see things clearly. Capricorn points to who you aspire to be and what you aspire to do. Capricorn brings forth ambition, action, and self-motivation.

Now is the time to reach for the sky, fulfill the promise of your natal chart. Now is the time to think deeply about what it is you really want to do with your life. With Saturn and Capricorn on your side, expect clarity, patience, and perseverance to guide your path.

Since you are reading this, I am going to imagine that reflexology has played around in your imagination to some degree. So, I’m going to be bold here and say that if your pull has always been to help others, earn a decent living while doing so, and feel proud about what your work, then I respectfully suggest you register for the 2018 Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Professional Certification. No one who has ever taken this program has regretted it!

Think seriously about it. With Saturn in Capricorn, it has never been a better time to embrace the next best version of you. Make 2018 the year you actualize your purpose!

We’re fast approaching that time of the year when everyone hauls out their best intentions in the form of New Year’s Resolutions. Weight loss. Regular exercise. Daily meditation. You name it.

The problem is your brain doesn’t want you to change – and for good reasons.

Our brains were designed to conserve energy for really important things like breathing and coordinating movement. Because habits require less energy to perform, our brains rely on habits whenever it is possible. The routines and structures hard-wired through thousands of neurological connections allow us to operate on autopilot from our subconscious mind without much conscious thought or energy.

Think about the time you were learning to drive a car and how much of your attention was required just to navigate the streets without hitting someone or something. And now, you drive, carry on conversations, listen to music, and amuse your brain in many distracting ways while your subconscious mind drives the vehicle.

This means you have to be very smart and very diligent to override what the brain is naturally programmed to do. In order to change a habit, you are going to have to persistently concentrate very hard to weaken and replace those neurological connections that have formed the habits that run your life. You’re going to have to outsmart yourself!

Changing habits is changing the status quo and the brain panics at that. Adrenalin gets released. You become stressed and revert to what I call “rut-behavior” – the familiar and effortless non-thinking choices. Binge-watching. Junk food. Staying up late and sleeping in. Bye-bye resolutions.

But wait! We are more than our habits – much more. Remember that your brain is a tool for you to master and use to your advantage. There are ways to win!

How Habits Are Formed
If we want to rewire our brains, it may help to understand how habits are formed in the first place.

Blame it on our biology.

Anytime we experience something that gives us pleasure our brains produce dopamine, a chemical that basically teaches the brain what we want, and motivates us to get more of it, regardless of whether or not it’s good for us. This is true for any behavior: winning a race, having an orgasm, eating chocolate, receiving bodywork, snorting cocaine. It’s all the same as far as our brains are concerned.

This fundamental system within our brains is crucial for survival. In order for a species to survive, it must want to continually repeat things that are necessary for its survival – like eating and having sex. (That’s why food tastes so good and sex feels great.) Every time you repeat these activities the brain rewards you with that pleasure-producing chemical dopamine that makes you want more. Brilliant!

When dopamine travels to the part of your brain where memories are formed, your brain creates a memory associating the behavior or trigger with getting a reward (dopamine).

I’ll use a personal example. One of my downfalls is potato chips. Although I’ve learned not to bring large bags home from the grocery store, when I go to the gas station, if I walk into the building, I am so tempted to buy a little bag. Thank you, retailers, for conveniently displaying them right at the checkout counter so I see them every time! If I do buy a bag, and then proceed to eat them in the car, I get an immediate rush of dopamine. I feel good.

What happens next has to do with another area that dopamine controls, and that is desire, decision-making and motivation. Next time I just see a photo of a bag of potato chips or just a gas station or am just driving in my car, my brain releases more dopamine from those memory cells that drives me to go get more potato chips. And that etches it deeper into my brain. It’s a never-ending cycle.

That is how habits are formed.

Changing Habits
So, how do we go against our biology? How do we change habits that are not supporting us in the ways we want? Turns out that it’s our brains, once again, that hold the key.

When we reward ourselves immediately after having performed a new behavior, a portion of our frontal lobes associated with self-control, decision-making and behavioral change lights up. Every time we perform this new behavior our frontal lobes light up more and more until the behavior moves to our subconscious mind as a habit. In experiments run at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, it generally took about 50 repetitions to convert a consciously executed new behavior into an unconscious habit.

Habit Formation and Stress
Stress turns out to be our worst enemy when it comes to changing habits. And going against the grain of our comfortable, long-held habits produces discomfort and stress in itself. The hormones released when we are under any stress inhibit the brain activity within our frontal lobes that are cementing these new behaviors into our psyche, so we end up reverting back to behaviors that don’t require conscious decision-making (like eating those potato chips). So successful change depends in part on good stress management strategies.

Strategies to Create New Habits
So, although changing long-held behaviors is difficult, it is not impossible. Here are some strategies I have learned from reading research from those people who have devoted years of their lives to helping us poor souls:

IMMEDIATELY REWARD YOURSELF for performing a new good habit. Key here is immediate. Promising yourself a reward if you exercise all week won’t work. It has to be immediate, after every single accomplishment. This is crucial.

MANAGE STRESS LEVELS. Exercise and meditation really help with this, but if these are two of the behaviors you have yet to develop as a habit, then remember, there is always reflexology and massage! They always feel great and are dopamine jackpots.

SUCCESSFUL CHANGE REQUIRES ABNORMALLY INTENSE, UNINTERRUPTED CONCENTRATION AND REPETITION. That means that when you are performing the new activity you must stay focused on what you are doing to create new neurological connections, not do it mindlessly. And you must keep repeating it day after day, even though you may still be defaulting to your old habit. Remember learning to drive the car? Focus.

ELIMINATE ANYTHING THAT SENDS YOU BACK TO YOUR DEFAULT HABIT. Imagine you have one strong eye and one weak one. If you cover the strong one with a patch, the weak one will get stronger. But, as soon as you remove the patch, the strong eye will take over again and the weak one will get weaker. So, put a patch over the unwanted habit; completely eliminate any association that will trigger the old habit. For me, that means avoiding the chip aisle at the grocery store; no potato chips in the house; not going into the gas station building; no eating ‘just one’ at a party. The key is to stay focused onstrengthening the developing habit. The more we restructure our lives, including shopping at different stores (gas stations, too), buying new brands of foods, eating on different and smaller dishware, eating in a different room, spending time with new buddies working on developing the same exercise habits – the more we will starve the undesirable habit and feed the activity we want to replace it.

SUCK IT UP! So, maybe you commit to your new habit for two consecutive days – Hey, I’m feeling the dopamine! – and then you slip. This is when you must just make yourself do it! All it takes is two, maybe three weeks of performing your new activity for your brain to produce another chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which neuroimmunophysiologist Monika Fleshner calls ‘Miracle-Gro for the brain’. In addition to helping you think more clearly and focus for longer periods of time, BDNF increases dopamine neurotransmissions! That means the more you perform the new activity, the more reward you get, and the sooner that new activity converts to a habit you will soon crave. So, bottom line: just suck it up! No excuses. JUST DO IT!As you move into creating the new you, please remember that you are doing nothing less than rewiring your brain. Be kind to yourself. It’s not easy. Remember when you were learning reflexology or massage? You weren’t smooth, fluid and confident those first days. It took daily focus and practice to perfect the art.

Creating new habits is no different. Don’t berate yourself for slip-ups. Just start over. Overriding an unhealthy habit requires changing the behaviors associated with it and diligent stress management. Stressing about making these lifestyle changes, or anything else for that matter will knock you off your wagon faster than anything else. Stay calm.

There are not many contraindications with reflexology, but a critical one to be aware of is deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

A thrombosis is a blood clot. DVT usually develops in the deep veins of the legs and can be very serious should the clot break loose and travel back to the lungs, blocking blood flow.

You might want to consider adding DVT to your health history intake form, as well as visually and verbally taking note of the following:

Symptoms
* Red or discolored skin on a leg.
* Client reports pain in the leg. The pain often originates in the calf and feels like cramping or just soreness. Run your thumb and palm up the right-hand and left-hand side of each leg gently. If there is pain or discomfort do not go ahead with the treatment.
* Swelling. If you visually notice or feel swelling, check for increased warmth. Do not proceed if positive.

In the above situation, recommend that your client report the symptoms to his or her doctor. You will want a letter of clearance before proceeding. It may be okay to provide foot reflexology to someone with DVT that is controlled by medications.

Some of the risk factors for DVT might be outside our control, but many are not.

Risk Factors
* Inherited blood-clotting disorder
* Prolonged bed rest
* Injury or surgery to the veins
* Pregnancy
* Oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy. They increase your body’s clotting ability.
* Obesity and excess weight
* Smoking
* Cancer. Some forms of cancer and some forms of cancer treatment increase the risk of blood clots.
* Heart failure
* Inflammatory bowel disease
* Family history of DVT
* Age. DVT is more common in people over 60, although it can occur at any age.
* Sitting for long periods of time

To prevent yourself from developing DVT, follow these four simple guidelines:

Prevention
* Avoid sitting for long periods of time.
Push away from the desk!
Get up off the couch!
Take breaks on long auto trips.
When flying, stand or walk if possible; if not, do some simple exercises while seated to contract and relax the calf muscles. Example: Raise and lower your heels while keeping toes on the floor; raise toes with heels on the floor. (Also consider wearing compression stockings if you fly a lot or are on a long-haul flight.)
* Lose weight.
* Quit smoking.
* Exercise.

Next month will mark the 14th anniversary of the first randomized controlled study of reflexology published in a scientific journal in the United States.

And it’s one that should convince you of the benefit of reflexology for women suffering from premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Over 90% of women claim to experience some of the symptoms of PMS, so it’s nice to know we can help. [1]

“Randomized Controlled Study of Premenstrual Symptoms Treated with Ear, Hand and Foot Reflexology” was conducted at the American Academy of Reflexology in California and led by Terry Oleson, Ph.D. and Bill Flocco, the director of the Academy. Academy grads participated to provide sessions over a 6-month period.

Fifteen physical and 15 psychological symptoms were tracked every day of the study’s duration. The control group, which received no reflexology, showed no change in their symptoms; the placebo group reported a 19% reduction in symptoms, and the group that received reflexology reported a 47% reduction of symptoms. That is a significant result!

The results of the study were published in Obstetrics and Gynecology in December 1993. You can read the full report here.

Risk reversal has many definitions, depending on the arena in which it is being used. For example, in the investment industry, it is commonly used to describe a strategy that protects against unfavorable price movements.

Practitioners in the field of somatic practices seldom use risk reversal, yet it is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to build your practice.

Think of a risk reversal as simply a guarantee.

But, let’s back it up for a second and look at the motivation behind buying.

Why People Buy

People make the decision to purchase everything based on two factors:

The perception that what they are about to purchase will solve their problem or, at least, enhance their life in some way.

The level of risk associated with buying such product or service.

The first factor is covered by your ability to educate the public as to the benefits of reflexology. You must passionately believe in the power of reflexology, know your stuff and be able to deliver.

The second correlates to your willingness to REVERSE – or as I like to think of it, ELIMINATE – your customer’s risk.

(How many times have you shelled out hard-earned cash for services and/or products that claimed to be able to “fix” your problem, only to be left unchanged and less flush? I have, more times than I wish to admit, and believe me it doesn’t feel good and leaves me distrustful of many products and services out there.)

When I suggest to reflexology students that they guarantee their services, I am usually met with wide-eyed alarm. Alarm that usually comes down to FEAR. Fear of not being able to deliver.

And frankly, I don’t understand that.

If you understand how reflexology works and how it affects the body, why can’t you guarantee that an individual will feel better after the session than how they felt upon arrival?

People Want To Feel Better!

It’s that simple. Whether it’s to eliminate anxiety, or get a good night’s sleep or improve digestion or eliminate pain, they want to feel better!

So guarantee it!

Guarantee your service. Clearly state what you promise to deliver: ie. that they will feel better or feel more relaxed after their reflexology session.

You are not – and cannot – guarantee that you will end their anxiety, or promise a perfect night of rest or improved digestion or reduced pain. You are guaranteeing that they will feel better for having received a reflexology session from you. And that, I assure you, is worth a lot!

Tell the client that you will not accept payment unless they are satisfied.

Understate And Over-Deliver

★ Guarantee a little less.

★ Deliver more.

Risk Reversal and Referrals

I always guarantee my services, and I’ve never had anyone tell me they wouldn’t pay. I don’t think that most people are looking to cheat me out of a free session. And if someone was not satisfied with my service, well, that would be okay too. If what I have to offer doesn’t make someone feel better than I’m not the person for him or her.

What I have experienced from verbally offering a guarantee is:

relief that there was no financial risk

increased confidence in reflexology, and

complete trust in me.

Add to that, the free promotion that comes from this satisfied client telling everyone about reflexology and the guarantee that I gave them. Can’t beat it!

So, if risk reversal sounds scary to you, I invite you to challenge yourself and move beyond your comfort zone. Try it with your next new client. And after they happily pay you for the session, ask that new client if they have any friends, family or colleagues that also deserve to feel better (or whatever you guaranteed). If they say yes, ask them to pass along your card. And here’s another guarantee:

Promise them that you will provide their friends with the same quality service you extended to them.

An always curious person, she researched and asked lots of questions to better understand the rationale regarding pressure that she was being taught. And then, as a way to educate her clients she wrote a great blog, her Thoughts on Pressure in Reflexology. You may pick up on Annalisa’s sense of humor, as well!

Enjoy! And as always, feel free to post a comment below on how you explain pressure for reflexology.

Roberta Cirocco, a student in this year’s Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Professional Certification, created a wonderful short slide presentation on the lymphatic system and reflexology. In it, she introduces us to fabulous live drawings of the lymphatic system that were created by the Khan Academy. Definitely worth a look!

In addition to allowing me to share her DIS project, Roberta plans to share this valuable information with nurses she works with at the Jacksonville, Florida Veterans Administration hospital.

“Always attach a level of compensation to it, other than times when you might want to donate your services.”

I clearly recall starting out as a reflexologist in Toronto in 1983 and being approached by an old family friend wanting work and not having the money to pay for it. My bleeding heart naturally wanted to just give her the sessions, but I heard my reflexology teacher’s voice in my head, reminding me that if I didn’t place a value on my work, neither would the public.

So, I bit the bullet and suggested that we do a trade. She was a fabulous gourmet cook (raised in restaurants), and I loved good food and people willing to cook for me – so it seemed like the perfect exchange to me.

We worked together weekly for a number of months. I would go to her home for a delicious three-course luncheon and then give her a foot reflexology session.

Setting my fee back then in Toronto, when all I did was reflexology, was pretty easy. I remember it was $25 for a session. (Remember, this was 1983!) Years later when I began to practice massage therapy, setting fees wasn’t so easy.

My massages were 60 minutes; my reflexology sessions 45. Should I charge less for reflexology since I was spending less time doing hands-on? And because it’s so much easier on my body? Or should I charge more because reflexology is a specialization and I had certification credentials to back me up?

Here are some of the considerations that played into my ultimate decision:

– Reflexology can address more than massage can; internal health issues (digestive, endocrine, respiratory, etc.), as well as musculoskeletal pain tackled by massage.

– Fewer qualified therapists offering reflexology so my time would be at a premium.

– Better results with reflexology.

– Services are perceived as more valuable if the fee is higher.

Charge Less For Reflexology

– Less hands-on time.

– Reflexology is not as hard on my body.

– I could be over-booked and not meeting my expenses by charging less than I need.

– Lower-priced service could be viewed as inferior.

– A lower price might entice people to try reflexology.

So, what did I decide?

Ultimately, I decided to price my massage sessions with the industry standards in my city and charge a higher rate for reflexology. I also decided to begin all reflexology sessions with a short hydrotherapy feature, which added in a few more minutes to the hands-on time. And that felt good to me.

In this fast-paced world we live in, some people think that sleeping is a waste of time when there is just so much to do. (I have a friend who believes this.)

I listened to a great interview conducted by NPR’s Terry Gross on Fresh Air on October 16. She interviewed Matthew Walker, who wrote Why We Sleep, the first sleep book written by a leading scientific expert on the subject. I highly recommend listening to the interview or reading the book if you are one of the thousands of people who have chronic sleep problems, and/or are one of us who are getting on in years, or just someone interested in the amazing workings of our brains. This information could change your health and the longevity of your life.

The key points brought forth by neuroscientist Matthew Walker and his team:

Regularity – the number 1 point – go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time. Even on days off. Sleep eight hours/night. He shared really interesting results from studies that indicated a link between chronic sleep deprivation and Alzheimer’s disease, and what the brain actively does when you sleep (and only when you sleep) to prevent the onset of this growing epidemic. It was fascinating.

Darkness. Walker recommends dimming the lights in the evening as you’re winding down. (You are winding down in the evening, aren’t you?) Not to go from bright lights to the darkness of the sleep environment. No screen time before bed or in the bedroom. Use blackout curtains so that your bedroom is dark. He relayed some interesting information on how melatonin works and the only time it actually helps with sleep issues. Once again, different than what most people think about this hormone.

Walker’s studies determined that if you can’t sleep, it is best to get up, move to another room, read a book (not look at screens) in dim light until you feel tired again; then return to bed. He explained that tossing and turning in bed trying to get back to sleep for hours just trains the brain to associate wakefulness with the bed. The other strategy that worked equally well – and that surprised this scientist – is to sit up and meditate.

I generally have no problem with sleep, but on the rare occasions that I do, I am always interested to note what hours I am awake and why. I believe that my body is out-of-balance when this occurs and am ultimately grateful for the information it is sending me – although not in the middle of the night! For example, recently I did a three-day cleanse, and on the third night found myself awake between 2 and 3am. One to 3am is the time of day when the liver is most active detoxing. Made sense to me.

No caffeine after 2pm. No alcohol in evening. Again, some of the recent science was new to me.

Sleep in a cold room: 68 to 69 degrees. Just pile on the blankies if this sounds too cold. You will fall asleep quicker and sleep sounder.

Do you actually know the benefits your clients receive from your work? Or are you operating from your imagination?

What if the benefit(s) your clients are reaping are different than what you think they are? Would it change the focus of your session? Would you include different add-ons or maybe offer some resources?

As homework in the fourth module of this year’s Certification program last month, I asked the participants to ask each of their practicum clients to tell them what the number one benefit was that they were getting from their sessions. I’m looking forward to hearing what they discovered next month when they return for the fifth and final module.

In the meantime, I decided to put that same question to my clients last week. Some responses were as I expected, but some were not. And in addition to getting me to re-think my session focuses a little, my question led to some interesting conversations and deepened the therapeutic relationships. My clients were all very touched by my genuine interest in their wellbeing.

Below is what resulted from talking to four regular clients one day last week. I asked for the number one benefit; none could state just one, but they did try to put in order of importance.

Follow-up:
* This woman arrived in a wheel chair four months ago after having had a stroke that paralyzed her legs. She has gone from that to a walker and now a rollator, so we are seeing great improvement. My imagination was that restoring the ability to walk unaided would be number one.
* I’m not sure yet how my intention will change here, but I have this undeniable sense that it will. Obviously, I will continue to work to stimulate nerve function and strengthen her muscles, but I think there’s more. Not sure what yet.

Follow-up
* The first two came as no surprise, but the third did. Now that I know that sleep is an issue, I will add in the endocrine reflexes in addition to the CNS and diaphragm reflexes I have been focusing on.
* I will create an ambient essential oil spray and an essential oil blend she can massage into her feet before closing her eyes for the night.

Follow-up:
This client initially came to me because of the hand and foot symptoms she was experiencing as a result of an ongoing chemotherapy regime she must take for the rest of her life. I assumed that what kept her coming back week after week was the positive results we had achieved that now allowed her to resume some of her regular activities. To hear that she placed a greater importance on the quieting of her internal chatter and her mood changes was revealing, and encourages me to share other ways she might raise her mental and emotional sense of well-being between visits.

Follow-up:
* Interesting that she didn’t even mention the chronic neck and shoulder pain of 20 years! Now that she no longer experiences that, she is able to go deeper in her contact with herself and allow her high-strung personality to relax more and more with every session.
* The best part of this interaction though was the increased trust she felt; so much so that she shared a niggling health concern that I think warrants an intervention by someone other than a reflexologist. Although not a big deal in this moment; left unattended, it will be. I’m so glad that we talked about this and that I am able to refer her to someone who can help.

I’m sharing this little exercise with the hope that you may feel inspired to do the same with some of your regulars. This is such an easy way to increase the value of what you are offering. Getting the specifics might just surprise you. If you do decide to try this little experiment, I hope you will share what you learn in the comment section below.